Mum fights to get more help for Kaitlin
Saturday, 12pm- AN ANGRY mum of three who wants her daughter to be given more help at school is prepared to go to Downing Street to make her point.
Saturday, 12pm- AN ANGRY mum of three who wants her daughter to be given more help at school is prepared to go to Downing Street to make her point.Lisa West of Dexter Avenue, Grantham, has a five-year-old daughter with a social communication disorder, learning difficulties, vision and hearing impairments and Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which is a behavioural disorder.
Lisa received a statement of special educational needs for her daughter, Kaitlin, which offers ten hours of extra help at school a week.
She said: "She needs help all the time. Which two hours of her day are they going to pick so she can learn? She doesn't understand. If she gets the education she deserves everything will start to make sense."
Kaitlin has already been kept back one year at school and Lisa says it will happen again.
Lisa said: "It took her over a year to write her name and she still doesn't know the letters."
Kaitlin's headteacher at Barkston and Syston Primary School Sally-Anne Caunter and her psychologist have recommended that she gets more help.
Mrs Caunter said: "She's a very complex little girl. Her understanding is severely limited.
"I think we can meet her needs if she could have the right funding from Lincolnshire County Council. Whether a specialist school is the answer in the future is yet to be decided."
Lisa added: "The council won't offer any more help. She's a number on a bit of paper to them. They haven't even met her. All these professionals can't be wrong."
The assistant director for children's services at the council Sue Westcott said they can not comment on Kaitlin's case but Lisa could raise her concerns with them.
She said: "In this case we'd be happy to take a look at this child's needs again."
Lisa realised there was something wrong with Kaitlin soon after her birth.
She saw multiple doctors but it was not until Kaitlin was four that she was diagnosed with ADHD.
She said: "The consultant was the first person that actually listened to me. I've had to fight for Kaitlin since she was eight-months-old."
After that it took Lisa nearly a year to get a statement for Kaitlin. The council said the vast majority of statements are processed within 26 weeks.
Lisa said: "It's very frustrating and stressful you have to get up every morning and think I have to fight for Kaitlin today. They're letting her down. If this doesn't work I will go to Downing Street and see Mr Brown myself."
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Saturday 04 February 2012
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